Happy Healing
by Hipsteraffe
Summary: What happens if the Joker falls upon an injured Batman? Will the Joker help the Dark Knight heal or will the situation end in tragedy?
1. Chapter 1

**Happy Healing**

**Chapter 1:**

The rain was falling hard now over this corrupt city, but then the city never seemed to have fair weather. Always gloom and doom. Though lights shone from most buildings, signs and street lights the city still felt bleak. Still felt dark. Like a bad joke, no humor.

But that was what he was here for. To bring laughter to everyone and anyone especially his beloved bat. This city was dark and tainted with sadness, so it was of course put upon him to bring everyone a smile, though sadly most people didn't seem to get the joke. This town was filled with diluted thoughts of riotousness and what is good and evil. But then he supposed that was what made it so much fun. It wouldn't be Gotham without the corruption after all.

That's what the Joker thought as he whistled merrily to some made up tune as he twirled his cane in hand like a baton. The signature smile in place along his angular features and a twisted gleam twinkled in his poison green eyes. As usual he wore only the finest purple suit with his orange vest and yellow button down beneath and a green bow tie neatly in place along with polished winged shoes. His stark white skin drew a striking contrast with his forest green hair whose curls fluttered slightly in the gentle breeze.

"Almost there! Must hurry, wouldn't want to keep dear batsy waiting after all." The mad man giggled to himself as he skipped his way to his arch nemesis's location, the one he himself picked as usual. The Joker always looked forward to these meetings of theirs, their "dates" as he liked to call them. This time it was on a lone apartment building in the slums and oh boy did the crazed man have a few tricks for the dear Batman this time. He'd get a few good ones in before he was most likely beaten to a bloody pulp and left for Arkham Asylum. Why that place didn't just give him a revolving door to to come and go as he pleased, he still didn't know. They had tried everything with him from state of the art straight jackets to complex locks and "inescapable rooms" as they put it and still he managed to break out of that crazy town.

"Oh but I'm getting off topic now, back to business." the Clown Prince of Crime snickered. The loon was about to cross the street when a noise to his right made him pause and look down the alley way beside him. Now normally he wouldn't give the noise a second thought but he recognized this voice, even if the tone was not something he was accustomed to.

What he saw surprised him, his eyes drawn wide with shock as he took in the sight of the massive black figure struggling to stay up on his feet in the dirty, dark alley. He halted the twirl of his cane and let the end hit the ground with a sharp click, dulled only by the sound of heavy rainfall as he watched the man a moment longer. His thoughts reeling at this sudden plot twist, he was very much caught off guard.

"Oh Bats dear? Is that you?" The Joker giggled as he abruptly stepped into the alley, his shoes clicking lightly against the wet concrete as he made his way closer to the Dark Knight. He was cautious in case this was some sort of trap, he didn't want the night to end so soon. He had much more planned for this evening and the next few evenings for that matter.

Finally the Bat seemed to take notice of the Jester's presence and he looked up, his face that was contorted with pain seconds before was quickly hidden with a weak snarl of warning.

How Batman hadn't noticed the other man's presence was beyond him. The Joker never did make it particularly hard to notice him, at least not usually. So when he finally heard the click of those shoes come to a halt abruptly a mere arm's length away him, and a purple suit leading up to that inhuman smile on ghost white skin he knew must be far more gone then he originally thought, and he already thought himself pretty gone.

He had lost a lot of blood, the rain water under him only further proving this point as it mixed with crimson that seeped from the large gash on his chest and many wounds on his arms and legs. Everything hurt as bruises formed under his armor, frankly he just wanted to get home and rest. Fatigue hit him like a ton of bricks. He was hanging on to consciousness by sheer will, even as his body refused to cooperate, he wasn't going to show such a weak state to this man. _Definitely_ not this man.

"Leave me alone Joker...Before I make you." The Batman growled threateningly, though the threat came out lacking any real power with the pained crackle in his voice. He craned his head up as he pushed himself up the wall to look at the smiling man whose smile only intensified at his words.

"But I don't think you could darling even if you wanted to." The Joker taunted, cocking his head lazily to the left, eyeing his Bat with curiosity and something else Batman was having trouble placing. Was that anger, maybe concern? No he must have lost too much blood. "But do tell me, what happened to you my sweet Bat? Did the little bird get sick of playing lackey and finally retaliate when you had your back turned? Kids these days, just no respect."

"Shut up." Batman hissed as he felt his head begin to spin and his vision go fuzzy. Black spots were beginning to appear in his line of sight and he knew unconsciousness was soon to follow, so he reached up to press the communicator in his cowl to contact Alfred but all the movement caused him was to loose his barring and slip down the wall in a crumpled heap. To weak and too tired to move anymore, he lay there fighting the desire to drift off into sweet unconsciousness, the fact that his arch enemy stood before him just watching him, taunting him with that surreal smile only intensified his will to stay awake. But will alone was soon not going to be enough to stop his broken body from giving in to the need for rest.

"Have a nice trip?" The clown chuckled uncontrollably placing a hand over his mouth in amusement, only to get a nasty look from the other man. When the giggles finally subsided he sighed out happily and smiled broadly.

"Always so solemn! Though I guess that's to be expected, looks like you might miss our date tonight. I was so looking forward to that too." The Joker frowned then, but only briefly as his smile lit back up a moment later, "Well I know a way we can make up for it. Worry not sweetums! Your bestest friend in the whole wide world has you covered."

The dark figure curled his lip in disdain and would have recoiled if he had the energy when The Joker placed one long fingered hand on his left shoulder after squatting before him, the ever present smile pulling taunt on his angular features as he chuckled giddily.

"Batsy, don't give me that look you're nearly dead and staining this wonderful alley with blood." The Harlequin of Hate crackled as he moved to the Batman's side, the later following his every move with his eyes, "These hobos wouldn't come into your home and stain your flooring, so we mustn't give them any less consideration. Not polite you know."

Punching the taller man never seemed better to do then now; Bruce would give anything to just slam his fist into that smug look on the Joker's face if only to shut him up. Not that it worked, nothing ever worked unless he was out cold. He balled his firsts at the thought and began to wonder if he could spare what limited energy he had left in order to appease his more brutal side. Until his thoughts were broken when the Joker hoisted one of the larger man's arms up and draped it around his shoulders. Batman's eyes widened in confusion and suspicion while he reflexively attempted to jerk the appendage away from the clown, only to be stopped by a firm grip that still surprised Batman, the man had always been a lot stronger then he appeared.

"Ah, ah, ah, we can't have any of that now. I know it puts a damper on things but it seems necessary in this situation dearest." said The Jester as the man's other arm snaked its way around Batman's waist and held it there firmly. Bruce could only be glad his armor was in between him and the Joker's hand, but even with the armor he felt tainted.

"Alright honey, let's get you up on three." The taller man said as if he was simply helping out an old friend, "One…Two…Three-_aughh_ Oh Boy! Bats what have you been _eating_!?"

Batman felt the Joker's grip on his arm and waist tighten as he felt the man hoist him up onto his feet, the strain visible only by the way the Joker clenched his teeth.

"One foot in front of the other now Batsy." The Joker chuckled, his voice straining with the effort and struggled to hold the larger man whist said man tried to gain his footing against the moisture slicked cement.

Batman's legs trembled as he finally was able to get to his feet. His legs were weak and he could feel them ready to buckle even though the Joker supported much of his weight. He hung practically limp barely able to move his feet, the Joker was nearly dragging the larger man out of the narrow side street and into the open.

This wasn't going to work, the Joker knew that. His "home" was quite a ways away and there was no way the bat would be able to survive that long at the pace they were going. "_And I'll be damned if someone kills him before me. This is _our_ game."_ The Joker thought with malice, he was going to find the person who did this to _his _bat and make them suffer before ending their sorry existence. No one played with his things.

"What are you-" Batman had started only to be shushed very rudely and given a look that practically said shut up but in case that wasn't enough, the Joker spoke anyway as usual.

"Be quiet Bats. This isn't easy you know. Now let's see…" the Jester trailed off as he eyed the street struggling slightly with the weight of the batman and the heavy downpour of rain. Minutes passed and Bruce was beginning to wonder if the Joker had forgotten what he was doing, until the Clown let out a giggle and nodded to himself.

The Harlequin of Hate finally spotted what he was looking for and with a grin began once more to drag the large black mass beside him across the street to a car that sat collecting water in the street. Normally he preferred walking but this situation called for a change. He set his Bat against the car with a loud thunk of armor on auto. The larger of the two letting out a slight groan of discomfort as his injuries were irritated by the less then gentle way the Joker handled him. Batman glanced up at his nemeses and his confusion at this whole escapade only intensified when he saw what appeared to be an almost apologetic look. But Batman quickly abolished that thought when the Jester broke out in a loud crackle, "Jeez bats you look a little uncomfortable. Need a pillow? You could always use my lap and take a nap if you want."

Batman glared up at the Clown and didn't even grace him with a response which only seemed to amuse the other man more. But the taller of the two said nothing else and proceeded to dig around inside his coat pockets before withdrawing a pistol.

Batman's eyes widened and his body tensed, he knew the Joker couldn't be doing what he had thought him to be. This is how it would end then, bleeding and at the mercy of one of Gothum's loons; he was about to get shot and was going to be left in one of the streets of the city he tried so hard to save from itself. Left in the cold rain for the police to find his remains, that is if Joker didn't have something more elaborate planned with his body. Batman knew how this man liked to make a spectacle of everything. Every part of his body screamed to run, to fight, it screamed for him to do something but he knew he hadn't the energy for it. So he simply closed his eyes and prepared to accept his fate, he guessed it wasn't so bad. He'd rather the Joker do it than anyone else if he had the choice he admitted to himself, something he would never confide to any other living being.

Shrill laughter broke him out of his thoughts and his eyes snapped open as he looked up at the source of the noise confusion etched into his features. The Clown Prince of Crime was doubled over in laughter the gun hanging limply from his long fingered hand and his eyes watered from the intensity of his fit.

"Y-You should of s-seen your face!" The Joker gurgled through his insane laughter that seemed to echo along the walls of the surrounding buildings almost making it sound like the city was laughing at the Caped Crusader. Batman simply sat there dumbfounded as he was completely unsure of what to do at this point.

It took several moments before the Joker calmed enough to be able to speak properly with only a mild giggle coming through, "I'm not going to _kill_ you! That would just be no fun dear!" He laughed and patted the top of Batman's cowl as if he were a small child asking a ridiculous question, "If I kill you, I want it to be on my own terms not when you're half dead by someone else's hands. And you're just too much fun! Our game isn't close to being over yet, so I'm not about to let you parish darling."

With that the Joker slammed the butt of the gun's handle against the car's passenger window, easily breaking the glass with the force of impact. The car alarm cried out through the street as Batman watch bewildered while the Joker pocketed his pistol and reached into the car to unlock the doors to the vehicle. Once the doors were unlocked the clown withdrew his hand and ran it through his rain soaked hair, brushing the strands from his eyes, the curls hanging limply from the downpour. He turned back to his Bat grinning wildly, "Ready then sweety?"

Batman barely heard the man over the piercing sound of the alarm so all he did was continue to stare at the taller of the two in uncertainty until finally he got his words to form a cognitive sentence, "This is someone's car."

"Thank you for pointing out the obvious sweetums, your brain must not be getting enough blood." The Joker snickered before bending down and once more hoisted up the larger man, a slight grimace crossing his face as he dragged the large bat figure to the open door of the car and dropped him un-ceremonially inside and onto the passenger seat. Batman groaned out when he hit the leather upholstery and he could only watch limply as the Joker bent his legs and rotated him into the seat. The clown grinned and took hold of the seatbelt clicking it into place over the bat before erupting into giggles, "Seatbelts! So we can be safe."

Batman could only role his eyes at the man, one moment he could be the most deadly force the Batman had ever encountered with his cunning intellect, crazy gags and nimble agility all along with his incredible will and malice; and the next he would be just like a child preforming harmless mischief and jokes. The Batman could only notice the taller man who now closed the passenger seemed to be in his later mood, the evil glint in his eye replaced with a childish sparkle of glee.

And that was the last Batman saw as his vision finally gave way and began to fade. Though he had no sense of security because of the Joker's his body simply couldn't hold out anymore and he slowly faded out of awareness listening to the Joker's soft giggles mixing with the heavy rainfall against the car and the soft purr of the engine as it started.

"Batsy? Did you hear me dearest?" The Joker giggled as he glanced over at the caped crusader once he shut off the blasted car alarm, expecting a glare or awaiting a response of sorts, but was met with nothing but silence. Not any sort of signal to let the Clown know he was still alive.

The Jester's smile faltered as he an alien feeling spread through his stomach, one he had never experienced before. Finally he caught the shallow rise and fall of the caped crusader's chest and realized the Dark Knight must have just blacked out, causing the feeling to subside immediately. The Joker let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding a perplex look adorning his features as he glanced at the bat for a moment before his eyes traveled lower to the man's wounds. They were bad. Deep and coursing with crimson, he needed to get home and get home fast. So without further ado he pulled away from the curb and shot down the street in all Joker like fashion.

* * *

My First Batman and Joker fic, so bare with me! I'm giving it a go. Reviews are appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two:**

Every few minutes poison green eyes came to rest on the black mass sitting in the passenger seat, waiting for each breath with an anxiousness he had never felt before. The relief hit him every time he saw the rise and fall of the Dark Knight's chest was becoming less and less as the man's breathing grew more and more ragged. The ride was longer then the Harlequin of Hate anticipated causing uncomfortable feeling to rise in his chest once again.

He was lucky to not be hitting much traffic, but then again he was taking back paths that weren't exactly created for driving purposes.

So thanks to his more unique way of driving, the Joker arrived at his "home" in record time. Though, to the Clown it had been far longer than he would have liked.

The car screeched to a halt beside an eerie, abandoned apartment complex. It loomed overhead as the Clown took in the sight of it, realizing it was going to be one hell of a trip up to his living quarters. With an exasperated sigh followed by a slight giggle, the Ace of Knaves grinned over at the unconscious Bat, "Oh bat-babe. What am I going to do with you? Always making things so complicated."

With that the crazed man shut off the engine and stepped out of the now dented, scratched and one side mirror short vehicle. He slammed his door shut and with quick, long strides stepped around to the passenger side and yanked open the door. Another sigh passed his lips as he leaned down and rotated the bat out of the seat, somehow managing to get him in a piggy back like position with only the Bat's feet dragging along behind the Joker.

A struggle was an understatement when describing what the Jester was going through. The Bat weighed a lot more then he looked, and he already looked pretty heavy to begin with, so to say that dragging the dead weight of the man to and inside the building was hard was just brushing the surface. But it was only when the Clown laid eyes on the stairs that a groan of displeasure slipped from his ruby red lips.

"Dammit Bats." He muttered an exaggerated frown pulling at the taller man's mouth as he took the first few steps, Batman's boot covered feet thunking behind them. The Jester's legs trembled as they threatened to buckle under the strain of literally dragging the other man's weight up the stairs. His breath became ragged with the physical effort.

Once he was at the landing between the first and second floor did he carefully drop the Bat to the ground, proceeding then to double over to catch his breath, stretching out his tired limbs.

Once more his eyes passed over the Batman and he briefly wondered why the hell he was doing this to begin with. To anyone else, Batman included, the thought of Joker helping anyone was just ludicrous. But the Jester knew, though it may sound ridiculous, without Batman he had no purpose. Nothing really kept him as entertained and gave life as much meaning as this dark crusader did. It was one big joke really, so of course the Joker just laughed; Laughed right along with the world and all its sick and twisted punch lines.

Once the man's chuckling faded into light giggles did he move and reposition the Bat on his back to continue where he left off. He dragged the man up the remaining stairs, huffing and puffing as he went. Sweat broke out on his brow through the climb and had just began beading along his hair line threatening to fall when he finally reached the top of the stairs after what felt like hours. But this time he didn't stop. He knew the longer he waited the shorter time he had to stabilize the Dark Knight on his back. So he proceeded to drag himself and the caped crusader down through the hall to the farthest end, to which he cursed his poor choice of housing.  
"Blasted, why did I pick the one at the _very_ end of the hall?!" He rolled his eyes at himself before cracking out a laugh through gritted teeth caused by the strenuousness of his current chore.

Once they reached the room the Jester elbowed the door open, following the pathetic excuse for a door inside the house as it swung open on rusted, squeaky hinges. The place was abandoned anyway and had been for years, so he never bothered to lock the door. The room he came into was small and sparsely decorated; containing only a moth eaten couch, and an old table with two lawn chairs. The room itself was separated into a dining room, living room, a small kitchen sat to the right, a half wall separating it from the rest of the room and a hall lead out of the room to the left leading to two more doorways leading to the bathroom and bedroom.

The Joker dragged the bat to the couch, deciding that it would be more comfortable and provided easier access compared to the lumpy mattress in the tiny bedroom down the hall. Plus it would only be more painstaking moments to drag the large lug to the room anyway.

Quickly he lay the Batman down on the couch, making sure he was comfortably in place before he quickly strode to the bathroom down the hall to gather up the medical supplies he kept in case of emergencies. Even the Joker had to stich himself up from time to time else risk sharing a final joke with old Grim himself.

Once he gathered the necessary items he carried the armful back to the living room and dumped them on the old, stained coffee table that sat next to the couch and proceeded to get to work.

"Well Batsy, I hope you're not shy. I'm going to have to peek at that rock solid body of yours." The Jester giggled as he glanced up and down the armor before finally running his hands along the rough material looking for a way to remove the suit to get to his wounds. Finally finding an opening that appeared to unlock the suit, he attempted to remove it only to get a charge of electric current sent through his body. Laughter echoed through the room as he shot to the ground and shook violently while the electricity coursed through him until finally it slowly ceased. He took a moment to regain his composure after the hysterical laughter faded into a sigh of amusement, "Ah Sweetums, you're so paranoid."

The Joker looked closer at the now obvious lock to the suit and grinned to himself, he studied it for a moment before broke out in "Ah-ha!"

It took a few adjustments and another shock before the Jester heard the quiet sound of air releasing, obviously coming from the suit once he unlocked it and he smirked, "Feeling a bit gassy Bats?"

After that he easily removed the chest plate and other sections of the armor until he had removed it all leaving Batman clothed only in his under armor shirt and pants.

"I always saw you as a commando guy." The Joker chortled as he peeled the fabric of the other man's top away with extreme care, "Way to disappoint Bats, way to disappoint."

Once the Clown ceased his giggles he turned his attention to the Bat's cowl. The Joker took a long moment debating on whether or not to remove the mask. He really didn't care who the man behind the bat was, as far as he was concerned his day time persona was the real mask. He knew Batman was only really himself when he donned the suit. In any case he had figured out the Bat's identity long ago, it had yet to be officially confirmed of course, but he knew. It was so blatantly obvious to the Joker it almost made him laugh. Well actually it _had_ made him laugh, on multiple occasions in fact, even to this day. But still, the Dark Knight didn't know the Jester knew, so who was he to deny the man his right to keep his sense of security anyway. Plus he was rather fond of that mask in all honesty, so he left it be.

Quickly the Clown Prince of Crime set to work on cleaning his arch nemesis's wounds, starting from the more life threatening ones to the minor scratches. He had to use many clothes and quite a bit of peroxide as a layer of grime had accumulated inside the suit through the many openings that were created the same way as his injuries.

As he wiped down the area's the Joker could only appreciate the other man's build, it was obvious the man was a gym rat. But it was easy to tell the man was not the body builder type, this man had spent quite a bit of time training be unstoppable by not only the fighting style he had witness countless times, but by the way every part of the man was hard, lean muscle.

Pulling his eyes from the man he went and gathered the suture and thread, proceeding to stitch the crusader's wounds starting with the one on his chest. He paused for a moment when he took notice of a long scar across the man's chest, only inches above the fresh wound, a scar he himself caused. This distracted the Jester, finally causing him to take notice of all the scars covering the man's body, which were enough to rival his own. Though many marks were hidden due to new wounds and bruises the Joker couldn't help the sense of pride as he took note to many scars that he himself had given the Knight during many of their previous dances. The Joker giggled to himself as he relived the memories while he went back to stitching up the rest of the bat's wounds.

It took nearly two hours before he had the batman completely stitched, bandaged and all of the bones popped back into place and set, the whole process left him with slight relief knowing that the Bat had lasted through it.

"Oh Bats…You should never worry your woman like this." The Joker laughed, but it was an empty laugh that didn't quite reach his eyes. He was angry. Everyone in this city knew not to touch his things, sure it didn't always stop them, but this was the first time he had seen his Dark Knight so beaten. He was going to be sure to get back at whoever did this once his Bat woke to tell him just who it was.

But aside from the anger there was, dare he guess it as, concern? The shallow rise and fall of the Caped Crusader's chest was taunting and it made his insides squirm, the slow pulse of the man also doing nothing to ease his tension. Batman had yet to waken, though groans would occasionally erupt from him, weak and defeated. It left the Joker curious to know what he was experiencing in dream land.

"Probably sad because his batty old aunt came to family picnic again." The Jester chocked, this time being quite a real laugh, though short lived when a racket at the door followed by the irritating sound of "PUDDIN'!" drew his attention away from the Dark Knight.

Simply not amused and carrying a heavy frown, the Joker came to the door and yanked it open to revile a glowing Harley Quinn. The woman that attempted to crack into the Joker's brain ended up converted from renowned psychiatrist to man's right hand woman that would do anything for him.

Though this didn't stop the irritation that she caused the Clown at times, so it was nothing new when he greeted her with a snap, "What?!"

Quinn held out a takeout bag up for her beloved Mr. J to see before she replied, jester hat bouncing with glee, "I thought we could have dinner together! You disappeared and didn't come home, so when I saw you on the street I followed you! I called in for delivery first though, Harley's delivery service! Now will that be cash or kisses?"

Her giggles quickly disappeared as she saw look of pure aggravation on the Joker's face. Not even a giggle for the girl. This begged the question for Harley, though she knew not to further anger the Joker at this point, she still wanted to know even if it might cause her a slap or two.

With a gulp she finally got around to it, lowering the sack of food as she spoke, "What's the matter Mistah J?"

"Nothing Pumpkin, now go away. I'm busy." The Clown Prince of Crime answered briskly, turning to slam the door in her face though only to be stopped by a foot.

"Please Mistah J? I just wanna help you!" She cried, her face now drawn into a look of sorrow that resembled that of a puppy dog. This did nothing to sway the Joker of course, who flung his head back and let out an exasperated sigh. But that was all Harley needed to sneak past the man and into the room.

"Oh nice place Puddin'! It could use a bit of feminine touch though. Good thing I'm here!" She said eyeing the room with hope. Maybe this was where her Puddin wanted to live after they got rid of that dreaded Batman she mused.

Though that thought was quickly abolished when she saw the half clothed Dark Knight sleeping on the couch, covered in bandages and blankets. She stood there speechless as her eyes drifted from the Caped Crusader to the medical utensils and bloodied rags. For a moment she assumed that the Joker was torturing the Bat, but it quickly became apparent it was not so when she turned to face a very livid looking Joker, "Puddin' what's going on?"

The Ace of Knaves angrily raised a hand to strike the girl, who immediately cowered back and waited for the blow. When it never came, Quinn raised her head and peeked through her fingers up at the tall man.

"No, no….Not in the mood." The Jester sighed dropping his hand, pushing past Harley none too kindly to go back to his spot beside the Bat. He sat on the floor cross legged and stared at the man before turning back to Harley now a brilliant smile in place, "I found us a pet Bat, Pumpkin!"

Harley was utterly confused as to what that meant but she smiled anyway and came over to sit beside Joker. "Aw Puddin' I always wanted a pet! That was so thoughtful!" She paused for a moment before lowering her head and hesitantly continuing, "B-But I thought you wanted to kill B-Man, Mistah J."

It took a few minutes before the Jester burst into laughter tears forming in his eyes as he shook his head. Harley took this as a good sign and smiled, a slight giggle bubbling from behind her lips as she watched the Joker, his laughter slowly dwindled to a pleasant chuckle.

"Oh Harley. What would I do without my Bat? He gives my life meaning sweet heart." The Clown said finally turning poison green eyes to blue. His smile intensified when Batman groaned and thrashed lightly, "See even ol' Batsy agrees!"

Only after minutes of silence where the Joker simply turned back to stare at Batman did Harley finally speak again, "Well if you say so Mistah J." She was hurt but she would never admit it to the Joker, but then she had to remind herself, if the Joker had gotten sick of her he would have been rid of her long ago. The Clown Prince of Crime never was one to keep toys that didn't entertain him anymore; he was anything but a hoarder.

That thought cheered her right up and she turned to the Joker again, "So what are you gonna do with him Puddin'?"

"Oh isn't that the question…Maybe he'll beat me to a pulp, maybe he'll kiss me in the moonlight. Who knows?" The Jester giggled grabbing the sack of food that Quinn had brought realizing now just how hungry he was. It had probably been days since he had last had any sort of meal and the idea of food sent pangs of hunger through him. He dug around in the bag and pulled out a sandwich and took a large bite, his eyes though never left the bat.

He was still worried; the Bat could easily have gone comatose with the severity of his wounds and the blood loss he endured. It was very possible that the larger man could wake up any minute or not for days. This idea made him wonder if he was properly prepared. He was going to have to acquire a few IVs and other medical supplies if the Dark Knight didn't awaken by tomorrow.

"Harley, I need your Doctor skills."

Harley immediately grinned and scooted closer to the Jester, giving the man bedroom eyes, "Well Mistah J. if you wanna play doctor you just gotta say so!"

"For Batman Pumpkin, not me." The Joker said, cocking an eyebrow and motioning to the unconscious Dark Crusader.

"Well if that's what you want Puddin'. I never knew you to be the sharing type though. Unless you wanted to make it the three of us of course." Harley replied putting a finger to her chin in thought with quite the dimwitted expression.

The Ace of Knaves never wanted to slap her more than he did now, "No Harley. I want you to literally use your doctor skills to help Batman. To keep him alive."

"Oh!" Harley replied sheepishly and nodded her head, "Of course Mistah J.! I can do that."

"That a girl." The Joker replied simply, a smile pulling at his sharp features.

After that the Jester said nothing else just sat beside the Bat, even after Harley left stating that she would bring the needed supplies, the Joker rarely moved and only nodded in response.

Soon enough tomorrow came and Harley returned that evening with IVs, medication, and other medical items they might need. Harley did her work quickly and efficiently only wanting to please the Clown, even if she wasn't totally sold on the idea of keeping their nemesis in the same home as her beloved Clown.

Once Quinn finished with her chore she would attempt to entertain the Clown Prince of Crime, only to fail as the man simply wanted to sit beside his enemy. Harley began to wonder if maybe the Joker didn't hate the Batman at all and perhaps really did consider him a friend and was genuinely concerned for the larger man's wellbeing. The girl quickly realized that the Joker wanted time to himself and decided it was best to leave the man to his thoughts.

And it went this way for the next two days, Joker never leaving the Batman's side unless completely necessary, simply spending the day caring for the Bat or playing cards; until finally on the third night Batman began to stir.

A load groan caused the Joker to snap his head up, eyes wide with hope as always happened when the Batman made any sort of noise. This time though, he was not disappointed as he saw the man's eyes flicker behind the lids before finally after many pain staking moments, they fluttering open to reveal groggy blue orbs.

It was obvious from the look on the large man's face he had no idea what was going on or where he was. Weakly a hand was brought up to his head the look of confusion was obvious on his face the Joker couldn't help the giggle that escaped him. He continued to laugh while the Batman's mind began to real with thoughts.

Why on Earth was his cowl still on?

God his head hurt so badly, his body felt so sore and tired.

Damn what was causing that racket, it was so familiar. What was it? Laughing? Yes he was sure it was laughing.

Bruce turned his head weakly blinking his eyes to rid the blurring from his sight. He could see a person near him, a man. A pale man.

A pale man with green hair, and equally green eyes, his red lips pulled into an inhuman smile. He knew this man better than anyone.

"Joker." The man coughed his voice raspy and cracking. He immediately tried to sit up, all of his defenses shooting through the roof and he silently began to panic.

Where was he? Why on Earth was the Joker there.

"Woah Batsy, don't get too excited now! I know you're happy to see me but you're still hurt." The Joker grinned standing up and pushing a long fingered hand to the larger man's chest and forcing him back down against the couch, "We can cuddle later."

"What?" The Batman growled weakly, his eyes growing dark with concern, "What did you do to me?"

This got a good laugh out of the Jester, "You know for once, I didn't do anything batsy, that's what's so funny! For once I am innocent Sweetums!"

* * *

End of Chapter two! Hope you guys like it, for some reason I was having a hard time with this chapter. Hopefully the next one won't be so difficult! Thanks for reading and remember to review!

Chapter Three will be out soon!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three:**

"Oh Bat's, you look so beautiful when you're confused and disbelieving," The Joker sighed, resting a hand over his chest, "It brings the seriousness out in your eyes."

"Joker." Batman warned, shooting the taller man a nasty look. Couldn't this man ever shut up and let him think without trying his patience? Just once? Was that really too much to ask?

Well apparently it was for the Clown Prince of Crime as he never seemed to shut up or take anything seriously.

Batman didn't seriously believe the Joker had a part in his injury, had he been the cause of it he would have gloated about it proudly and announced it to the world. Batman also recalled a few moments where the Joker showed up in the rain at the peak of his exhaustion asking him who had done this to the Caped Crusader.

Now it was a matter of who actually did this. He remembered he was snuck up upon, a feat for anyone, while handling a dealer in the street, one of Maroni's men he presumed, before someone fell upon him.

_A new drug had been being released into Gotham, it was a tablet that gave you a high for an hour before you crashed hard into a nightmare like state. Originally Batman thought Scarecrow, master of fear; but as time wore on he realized that was not all the drug did. Once the nightmare state passed, about two hours, the person would irrupt into a giggling fit for a few hours, the effect was similar to Joker Venom but far less potent and without causing an inhuman smile to appear on the victims faces. After usage of the drug the user would then go into a comatose state or die._

_He had just gotten he dealer to talk, his source indeed being part of the mob. It was just which one now. He intended to find out, and fast._

_But his thoughts came to an abrupt halt when he was struck from behind having just incapacitated the dealer; a hard blow to the back of the head quickly disoriented the Bat. At first he thought perhaps it was Catwoman, that woman could always get the jump on him if he wasn't careful. He even considered it maybe Joker as they were supposed to "meet up" later anyway; therefore was possible he ran into the Dark Knight on his way to the location._

_Unsteadily Batman turned to confront whoever had been so daring only to be struck again, a blow sent straight for his solar plexus; the blow was strong but did little damage as his armor protected him. It was mostly reflex and surprise that caused him to stumbled back, only to receive another blow to the face. Luckily the cowl had taken the blunt of the blow and the Dark Knight was quick to retaliate with a few blows of his own, two of which hit home and three dodged. He would have been impressed had he not been in this current predicament._

_The two fought for a while, each throwing a hit or kick only for the other to dodge and counter. Punches and kicks were thrown like lightning and blow after blow neither of them got any farther than the other. Both had stamina, both had strength. This shocked the Bat, how on earth was this man or woman on par? He couldn't even get a good look at his opponent to see who they were or any signification of what group they may follow. The attacker wore armor, only it made the Bat impossible to figure out if it was male or female because of it. Gadgets lined its shoulders and waist and a black masked obscured the face. _

_Soon Batman realized that this was only going to continue if he didn't use some sort of gadget. It was simply a stalemate at this point._

_That is until he felt a knife embedded between his ribs and another sunken into his forearm. Somewhere during their fight, just as Batman went to reach for something from his utility belt his attacker had gained leverage and had retrieved a set of knives. _

_Luck though seemed to be with him, nothing vital was pericied and the knives were not long. But they were wide._

_The large gashes they caused made him cringe in excruciating pain, weakening him and slowing his movements. This led to the attacker grabbing his arm and twisting it in an unnatural way until Bruce heard the sound of bones crack and the agony that followed. _

_He struck his attacker causing them to release their hold and back off, giving Batman a moment of relief. But it was short lived as round two began. A sharp punch to the chest near the first knife wound and intense pain shot out through his body, it was apparent the attacker was using metal knuckles or gauntlets now. Bruce quickly realized more than a few ribs were cracked, maybe a one or two broken, as each intact of breath caused sharp pains to course through his body. _

_He backed away by leaping out of range, giving himself a few seconds to steady and counter a few blows with a few of his own well landed punches with his metal knuckles. He felt he was gaining a bit of leverage for a moment when he landed a hard punch to the attacker's face. They staggered back for a moment and looked as though they threatened to fall over. Until a slash to the chest caused the Bat to yell out in pain as his armor and skin was ripped open. Blood poured from the wound and Batman quickly pressed a hand to the gushing wound. He had seen the blow coming, but he was too slow; too weakened by the previous onslaught to stop it. _

_At this point Batman decided that retreat may be needed else he not live to see another day. He reached into his utility belt to grab a smoke screen and threw it to the ground. Just as smoke began to shoot from the canister a dozen throwing knives were sent his way just as the smoke completely obscured his attacker. He had just enough time to doge a few of them, before the rest firmly planted themselves in his arms and legs. _

_Bruce bit back a grunt of pain and ran for the side of the building. Without missing a step he fired the zip line and latched onto it leaping down off of the building's edge to slide along the line until he was on the roof of a lower building quite a distance away. He rolled to lessen the impact to avoid further injury to his wounds, but still the pain shot through his body like fire. _

_From there he slunk down a fire escape to the alley way below. He was wary in case his attacker had followed; checking all around him until he realized the other must not have seen where he went, or at least decided not to follow. As he climbed rain began to fall in sheets, drenching him. His suit protected him from most of the water, but the many openings in his suit caused it to seep in in places; burning his wounds and freezing him with the chill of the night's brisk air._

_He had almost climbed to the bottom when his arms gave out the last ten or so feet and he crashed to the slick ground below. He hissed out in agony, everything hurt now. He knew he had multiple wounds, from fractures to open gashes all over his body. _

_It took all he had to roll onto his side, breath coming out in heavy pants that turned to fog by the cold night air. He forced himself up, bracing himself against the wall his legs shaking with the effort. _

_He needed to get home._

Now if Bruce remembered correctly, that was when the man before him, the one and only Joker, came in.

He briefly recalled the man helping him out of the alley but most of what he remembered was fuzzy due to the amount of blood he had lost and the severity of the pain his body was in. The shock to his body had caused him to black out thus not allowing him to recall most of the events that followed.

"Hunny? Is anyone home?" Batman had heard just as he was pulled from his train of thought by a knock on his cowl.

The man growled and slapped the hand away, "Don't touch me Joker."

"Ah, I'm afraid it's far too late for that bat-babe. I had to do quite a lot of touching to get you away from death's arms so you could be back into mine." The Joker teased, batting his lashes and giving the Bat a smoldering expression, one that utterly disturbed said Bat.

Bruce ignored that statement completely; something he knew would irritate the Joker. The man hated to be ignored, especially when it was him who was doing it. It was like the man lived for Batman's attention. It was so strange to him, but he supposed that desire for attention is why he was still around. This led him to ask his next question, "Why did you help me Joker?"

He watched as the Jester's expression went from glee to confusion before breaking into hysterical laughter, "Hahahahe…hehohe…I'm always trying to help you Batsy. If you didn't fight me so much you'd see!" He paused for a moment as he broke out into giggles again, "Not that I mind, your passionate fists say it all darling."

Batman scoffed at that, completely unwilling to believe that everything the Joker did was an act to assist him, "All you ever do is hurt me Joker. Destroy everything I love or work for." Batman shook his head at the ludicrous notion. The Joker trying to help the Batman? He could have laughed. "You always are trying to end me. How is that helping me? You're a menace, insane, you couldn't help anyone if you even wanted to with the evil things you do."

A frown pulled at the Jester's mouth, his features exaggerating in an almost comic way. The look on his face almost made the Batman feel bad. Almost.

But still it appeared as though what Bruce had said really affected the man before him. Hurt him even. But the Bat knew that was impossible, the Clown Prince of Crime didn't care about anyone or anything…Right?

"I do try to help. You just refuse to accept what I show you." Joker said, for once his tone serious, void of any and all humor. It was more unnerving then his smile. The Clown threw his head back and gave a laugh, but it was a cold laugh, an empty laugh, "I just want to see you smile Batsy, loose that gloom and doom and all that seriousness with a laugh. To show you that life is just a gag on all of us."

Green eyes lowered back down meeting with blue. Those deranged eyes always seemed so inhuman to Batman, like they would glow if someone were to shut off all the lights. Now though, those eyes seemed so full of sorrow and frustration; like he was truly hurting over the fact that Batman didn't see things as he did.

It scared Bruce. It scared him seeing such human emotions in a man he had always thought to be so inhuman, so incapable of feeling anything. He had to remind himself that the Jester was a master of manipulation; an actor. It was easy for him to feign such things; it was how he had tricked so many of Arkham's doctors. He would convince them his stories and feelings were real, make them think they were making a break. Eventually he would end up driving all of the doctors to quit, suicide or insanity themselves. He truly was a master of the mind with his near genius intellect and his constantly fluctuating personality.

Yet the Joker looked so genuine. What if he really meant what he said?

Batman didn't say anything, so the Joker took it as a sign to continue, "See Bats…I see how the world is, how it really is. I know you see it too." He leaned forward, resting his arms on the edge of the couch as he stared at Batman with those piercing eyes, "You just fight it, where I accept it. You struggle so much because of that, you're so chained….I just want you to be free….Like me. To smile Batsy! To smile!"

"I could never be like you." Bruce growled sitting straight up in a burst of raw energy and reached out to grab Joker's collar, jerking him forward only it was so weak the man barely budged. The only thing the angry outburst succeeded in getting him was immense pain in his still fresh wounds, "N-Never. I will never…"

He had to release the Joker only a few moments later, falling back against the couch as he felt his wounds reopen. He gritted his teeth in pain and frustration, looking away from the man before him. Embarrassed to show weakness in front of the Jester he bit back any sounds of pain as he felt his wounds seeping blood once more.

Batman was angry and if he had the strength to he would hit the Joker. Force it into him. Make him see they could and would never be the same. The man was crazy, he didn't understand anything. It made him so frustrated; he could feel his blood boil. He couldn't ever become like the Joker; he was Batman, Gotham's Dark Knight, protector of the innocent.

After a time the Bat forced himself to look back at the Harlequin of Hate, the silence in the room began to unnerve him. It was never this quiet around the Joker unless he was up to something. But when he looked back he was met with an expression of anger that rivaled his own minutes ago. This confused the larger man, why would the Jester be angry? Nothing ever really made him angry.

"You deny it, but it's true. You'll see it one day. No matter what you do you can't run from it forever." The Jester's voice was calm and cool, but it was plainly obvious the man was less than pleased, "You'll find out that all you do is for nothing Bats. No matter what, people are monsters; some of us just don't try to hide it with lies. You know it you just won't admit it to yourself yet."  
Suddenly a smile broke out on the taller man's face and his next words made the hairs on Bruce's neck stand on end, "But that's okay. I'm here to show you what you know is true deep down."

"You're insane. There is nothing you could ever show me. You don't care about anything." Bruce whispered distain riddled his voice but uncertainty held firm in his eyes.

The Clown's expression darkened into an angry frown. The man stood to his full length then, the movement was sudden and caught the Dark Knight by surprise that he didn't react soon enough to defend himself when suddenly the clown was on him.

A hand pressed painfully hard against the wound on the man's chest as he ripped away the bandages.

The Joker leant forward then and hissed in the Bat's ear, "If I didn't care then why are you still alive? Tell me Batsy, why would I wrap these…" Now he dug his fingers into the wounds and twisted them painfully making Bruce cry out in pain before he could stop himself, "Why wouldn't I have let you bleed out?"

Batman found himself unable to meet the other man's intense gaze, his breathing ragged as the pain of the wound engulfed his senses.

"Look at me." The Harlequin of Hate nearly yelled the anger obvious in his voice as he spat the words. But not just anger, there also might have been something desperate in the way he spoke. Bruce couldn't really decide if that were a fact or not though since now the Jester had dug even harder into his wound making him bite out a grunt of torment. He was weak and in pain, as well as confused and angry. Batman really didn't need this right now, this situation was not helping his condition.

The Bat grit his teeth in agony before finally he raised his gaze to meet the other man's, assuming said person would not go on or ease the pain until he was acknowledged in some way.

A moment after their eyes locked the Joker continued, his voice eerily calm and his gaze dead serious, "I care about _you_ Bat-babe. You giveme _purpose_."

The larger man couldn't believe his ears, or his eyes for that matter. He had rarely seen the Joker so serious, but when he was this way he knew there was nothing false about what he was saying. The look he was getting from the Jester was a testament to that in itself.

The dumbfounded expression must have showed on the Dark Knight's face because then the Joker smiled, a bright smile, and he withdrew his fingers from the wound on the other man's body. "You complete me Bats."

The man stood then, as abrupt as before, and went over to the bandages on the counter in the kitchen, gathering them up before coming back over with the supplies in hand. He tossed them on the coffee table before crouching next to the bat again, reaching out with long fingers towards the Bat.

"Really, you must stop being so shy my little Bat." The Joker crackled when he had his hands slapped away. Green eyes met blue and the two locked gazes until finally the Bat looked away.

That was a first.

"Don't touch me."

"Now Bats, you'll bleed out at this rate." Tutted the Clown before crackling, "Now let nurse Joker fix you all up. I promise I won't touch what I shouldn't this time."

The Bat was confused, frustrated, angry and in pain all at once. He wanted answers but he didn't even know where to begin. What questions did he ask?

And frankly the Bat didn't want the taller man touching him anyway, not after that painful display of "affection". But now with the severe pain fully brought to his attention by the Joker's less than humane ministrations, he found he really didn't have a choice in the matter.

The Bat gritted his teeth and shook his head in frustration, better get it over with he assumed. Who knows what the green haired menace might do if he fell out of consciousness again. Better he stay on guard this time around even with how weak he was.

He let out a defeated sigh and the Jester nodded in approval, "I knew you'd come around sweetums."

Setting straight to work after that, he carefully sat the other man up before removing the rest of the now red stained bandages from around his torso. Obviously the wound was now reopened both from Batman's recklessness and the Joker's less than adequate nursing a few moments ago.

"Now see what those temper tantrums bring you? I told you, you needed anger management." Crackled the Jester as he let the man lie back again and grabbed the sutures, "Now this will only hurt a lot, so if you get too excited just let Dr J know so he can stop…"

It took a few moments but the Jester was able to stich the man back up quickly and skillfully. The Batman said nothing the entire time, only let the Joker do as he would seeing as he was in no condition to argue.

Once he was re-bandaged the Bat turned away from the Clown and glared at the wall, only giving the taller man more reason to laugh, "Now don't pout darling. I promise it was no more fun for me then it was for you…Well…Okay it was a lot more fun for me."

"I need to leave Joker." Batman said suddenly, turning to face the man who's smile had now disappeared again. The Bat must really be touching some nerves today. Who would have thought?

When the Clown said nothing, Bruce continued and motioned to his cowl, "My communicator is not working. Your doing I assume?"

"That and the locator Darling. Can't have the birds coming in to save their big daddy bat so soon now can I?" The Clown Prince of Crime chimed, his smile once more set across his sharp features.

If Batman was wondering why Robin and Nightwing hadn't come for him yet, he now understood why. There was no possible way for them to have any clue as to where the man could be. And knowing the Joker, he made sure to keep low and hidden. When he wanted to the man could disappear from the face of the Earth and only reappear when he deemed fit. So if he didn't want to be found by his partners, he wouldn't be and currently there was nothing Batman could do about it.

Batman could only stare at his now crackling nemesis and wonder what the Joker had in store for him.

"You're going to heal happily with old Joker until your fit as a fiddle and ready to fly the coop Batsy! Though I think you already flew the coop if you know what I mean." The Jester laughed as he tapped the top of the Dark Knight's cowl.

* * *

Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! I hope this chapter was up to par for you folks.

Remember, reviews are great!


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four:**

A feeling of dread was all Batman had when a large spoon appeared in his line of vision; The dark golden syrup it held glittered due to the light in the ceiling. Though, the Dark Knight couldn't help but think, it seemed to spew vile as he it was brought closer and closer to his lips. He inched his face further and further back until he was painfully straining his neck to get out of reach from the putrid substance resting in the utensil, but it did little as the Joker was insistent that the man drink the liquid.

"Batsy really, stop being such a baby. It isn't rodent repellent I promise…" The Joker huffed his smile quirking at the corners as he pressed the tip of the spoon to the larger man's lips, "There are far more efficient ways to kill a flying rat anyway. A mallet perhaps?"

If looks could kill the Joker would be a dead man; the Dark Knight's expression told the Jester exactly where he could shove that spoon and its content, even with the cowl hiding most of his face. The Joker could only respond with a howl of laughter. "Come on honey, we need to get you better and Harley says this will help with any infections." He paused for a moment before snickering, "Not infections of the mind of course. So fortunately you'll still find yourself wanting to dress as a bat every night."

The clown only got a hateful stare in response.

"_I'd knock that damn smirk off your face if I could you bastard Clown."_ Batman thought, he would have said it but he knew a response is what he wanted in this situation, and since the Bat was currently tied to the couch there was little else he could do.

Somewhere during the day, though it could be night since Batman was still unsure of the time as all the windows were blacked out completely, he had fallen asleep. The man had become so exhausted and he found that he had slowly begun to nod off to the Joker as he rambled on and on about anything and everything. The bat had taken notice that it seemed the Joker's favorite topic was their similarities which of course Bruce found ludicrous.

The man awoke to the sound of the song "a spoonful of sugar" only to find his arms and legs strapped down to the couch by a couple of belts; the thick leather constricting almost uncomfortably against his skin, holding the appendages firmly in place. At first it startled the Batman and he reflexively fought against the bonds until he realize it was futile. That was when he finally took notice of the Joker and what he was saying, "Time for your medicine Batsy!"

From that point onward the two had been bickering over whether or not Bruce was going to be taking that ghoulish looking substance the Joker claimed to be medication. It was about five minutes into the argument before the Joker simply poured the medication and held it threateningly to the Dark Knight's mouth, successfully silencing all other verbal quarrels.

And that sums up the last twenty minutes. The Batman was becoming increasingly frustrated and the Joker only seemed to be finding it more and more amusing as time progressed.

Or so the Batman thought until he was suddenly struck in the shoulder, and though he had no injury there it did not stop the impact from sending signals throughout his body. It was more of a reflex in the end that led the Bat to let out a yell out, allowing the other man to nearly shove the entire spoon along with its content down the Batman's throat.

Batman gagged and coughed as the horrid liquid shocked his taste buds and trickled down his throat. Once more the Bat fought against his bonds, to no avail as he was forced to down the liquid else choke on the vile substance. The last thing Bruce wanted at this point was mouth to mouth from the Joker.

The Joker watched as batman nearly reached after downing the medicine Harley had given him. When the Bat had fallen asleep the Joker had finally taken notice of the rising temperature the man was acquiring. That feeling, concern perhaps, built up in his chest and he had Harley back in the building within the hour.

She had told Joker he was going to have to be more careful, earning her a sharp slap and the demand for a more legitimate response. She quickly changed her tone and immediately gave him a response that, according to her, should have his temperature down by the end of the night, perhaps the next morning. She also did warn him that it would taste terrible.

Joker did feel a strange sensation of guilt as he watched the other man slowly coming out of the coughing fit. He hated some of the medication even he would have to take from time to time thanks to Harley. He always found that the things she proscribed tasted even worse than some of the things they gave out at even Arkham, so he knew very well what the larger man must be feeling, or rather tasting.

But then the expression on the man's face was priceless, he always seemed to have the funniest responses to everything. The Joker couldn't help but smile. It always made him laugh to witness the Batman's bewildered expression each time he was surprised by something he did. So that's exactly what he did, he laughed.

"Y-you twisted bastard!" The Bat growled out through his coughing fits. He wished he could move, or to sit up, or better yet to strangle the mad man howling with glee. Batman felt embarrassment rising up in his chest as he listened to the insane laughter. He felt ridiculous not being able to handle the absolutely repulsive taste of the medication and though he blamed most of his reaction on the shock of nearly being choked with the spoon, he couldn't help but feel childish. He wanted to ring the man's neck, "Release me now Joker."

"Heheh…hoho…Oh Bats, don't act like that. It's for your own good you know. You could have gotten ill if I didn't give that to you. I don't want to be taking care of runny noses too." The Joker grinned his signature grin, one that the Batman could never feel comfortable around no matter how many times he had seen it, "And what good is a dead Batman to me?"

Batman didn't grace him with a response, but the glare was all the crazed man need to continue, "Oh Bats you really don't like being restrained do you? Funny, I always imagined you to be into bondage…" Suddenly the Clown burst into fits of laughter, "Then again, you're such a sadistic fiend any sort of dominance over you has got to be a serious turn off, am I right?"

"You're the sadistic one Joker." Batman snarled in response, his patience being seriously tested at this point.

The response he got was quick, as though he knew what the Dark Knight was going to say, "I'm not the one who goes around punching everyone who doesn't suit my standard of moralism to a bleeding pulp now am I?"

Batman shook his head; frustration was palpable at this point. He wanted to scream and snap the other man in half he was so agitated, a frenzy only the Joker seemed to be able to instill in him. Why couldn't the other man just leave him alone?

Or at least be quiet.

Obviously both were far too much to ask for as neither dreams seemed to be anywhere close to being granted. But it seemed the Joker would allow him to have his freedom back, much to the Dark Knight's relief. Long fingers quickly undid the large knots and in minutes the Bat was granted free rein of his appendages, at least as far as they would allow him with the sustained injuries.

So it did indeed come to a complete surprise to the Jester when a fist made contact with his jaw. The blow wasn't nearly as up to par as the caped crusader usual punches, but it still had enough force to knock the Clown back.

"Ah…Hahah…You just can't keep your hands off of me can you Bats?" The Joker giggled, holding his throbbing jaw. He knew he was going to have a bruise from that blow, but at the same time it frustrated him. It was obvious that had taken a lot out of the Dark Knight, and it hadn't did nearly enough damage as it normally would have under any other circumstance. By the way that the Batman was gripping his own side in pain was a visual confirmation that he was indeed very weak.

"Just…Shut up Joker." Batman huffed, his breaths coming out pained as he gripped his side and squeezed his eyes shut. He had irritated his injuries with that irrational move and he was quickly regretting it.

After a few moments of silence, Batman couldn't help but crack an eyelid.

It was too quiet.

Joker simply sat there staring at him; saying nothing and doing nothing. It was unnerving seeing the ever rambling man so void of his persistent chatter. Bruce stared back at the Jester, eventually opening both eyes so both parties simply stared at one another. Neither spoke nor blinked as blue stared into green.

It took several long minutes before finally it was Joker who spoke, "What lovely eyes you have!"

Batman could only roll his eyes at that statement. He turned his head away from the taller man and sighed with frustration, "You're insane."

"Yes we've established this darling. You constantly remind me of my apparent problem with being out of touch with reality." The Jester cocked an eyebrow and laughed, "But we both know I'm not. We both know you and I know exactly what I see. You see the same, even if you refuse to admit it."

"Is that what you really think? You really think I could see things the same way you do? You're evil, you don't care about anything, you only kill and destroy." The caped crusader shook his head, disgust playing on his features, "I'm nothing like you. I'm good, I care about others."

"You and I both know there is no real good or evil. That's just a self-created prison that people use to justify their actions. You just hide behind that ruse of morals you have." The Joker retorted his ever present smile gone in replace of blunt seriousness, "And I do care. I care about you. You give me purpose Bats. You're the only one in the whole world who is really a challenge; who really understands me."

The Joker scooted closer and motioned to Batman and then to him, "I care about you."

Batman had to look away, the seriousness and the genuineness of the Harlequin of Hate's expression took the man aback. He didn't like it, he found himself longing for a gag, a laugh, something to let him know that this was just a sick joke that the Joker was dishing out.

But none came.

Only a gentle touch of a hand on his arm made the Bat turn his expression back to the Jester. He glanced at the Clown's hand on his arm and then once more met his gaze as a million questions jumped into his mind.

How could he be stuck in this situation? Why wasn't the Joker just ending him or leaving him for Robin or Nightwing to find? What was the meaning of all these strange gestures and actions the Joker seemed to be doing, was it kindness? Compassion? Did he actually care for Batman? His nemesis?

No it had to be a trick; he was so good at tricking others. Making them really believe what he was saying. That was the Joker's greatest weapon, his mind and his mouth. He had to be faking it.

But then Batman couldn't help but wonder if what he said was true. Bruce had trained himself to not fall for the Joker's games; he always knew when the Jester was up to something, lying, or having a good laugh. And he also knew when the Joker was being dead serious.

This was one of those times.

Batman couldn't help but wonder what was going on. If Joker did really mean what he claimed, then why always instigate him? Why always start these fights and continuously do evil? Bruce just didn't know what to think. Joker was anything but predictable and never completely understandable, even to someone like Batman who had fought him for years.

Joker could tell that Batman was at a loss for words. He really must have broken his brain this time. The Jester couldn't help but giggle at the thought. Poor fellow must really be having a mental game of twenty questions judging by the expression on his face.

So figuring it was time to change the subject before the other man's head began to smoke from over excursion, the Joker removed his hand from the Dark Knight and reached into his coat pocket. Immediately he watched as the Bat stiffened while suspicious eyes narrowed.

"Relax Batsy." The Joker laughed as he pulled out a deck of cards. "Want to see a magic trick?"

This only seemed to further agitate the other man as he seemed even more on edge then before. The Clown Prince of Crime could only laugh at his well-placed ridiculousness.

"I won't cut your throat out I swear. I just wanted to show you a few card tricks. Pass the time and all." Joker grinned and took the cards out of the deck, shuffling them with such skill and grace Bruce could only admire it even in his edgy state, "As much as I enjoy staring at you all day Bats, it does get boring."

A look of disbelief crossed the larger man's face.

"Oh don't be so conceded Bats, we both know you're pretty." Sighed the clown as he shook his head at the other man while he continued to shuffle the deck.

Eventually the actions drew the Bat's attention to the man's hands. He couldn't help but have a degree of respect for the crazed man; he did indeed have skill with cards. It was as if the cards were floating across his fingers as he continued to shuffle the deck.

As he continued shuffling he began to do tricks as well. Cards were flying from his fingers as though they were dancing to the Joker's personal tune. He would shoot them from his fingers, catch them with ease and continue the process. Cards would disappear and reappear in the most magical of ways; if Batman didn't know better even he would have considered the possibility of real sorcery being involved.

Of course through the whole show, Batman's expression went through little to no changes. He kept his stoic face the entire time; anyone else would have said the man looked bored. But of course the Joker knew better, he could tell by the look in his eyes that he was really intrigued by the show. He could tell the Bat was really enjoying himself.

The Joker took pride in knowing he was one of the few, if not the only one who could see these things in the other man. The fact that he always seemed to know what the Batman was thinking gave him immense satisfaction; yet it pleased him more that the man could understand him as well. Though they stood on opposite poles, even if they fought and clashed and their ideals were opposing, it was simple to see that they understood one another.

After a long while the Joker finally finished, gathering the cards up in a neat pile and shuffling through them once more before replacing them back into the card box. There was silence before finally one of them spoke.

"So what did you think?"

"It was good." Batman admitted; he wouldn't lie, it was blatantly obvious that the Joker had skill and Bruce was never one to ignore such talents in anyone.

Joker couldn't help but smile; that was such a Batman-like response, "Glad you enjoyed it then sir gloom and doom."

Ignoring the insult the Bat continued and asked, "Where did you learn all of that?"

Finally the Jester returned his gaze to his nemesis, a grin breaking out across his features before he answered, "I don't remember. I just know."

"So you really don't remember anything about yourself do you." The Batman said, it was more a statement then a question. The two of them had been through this dozens of times, Batman would ask a question relating to the Joker's past and the Joker would simply respond the same.

"I told you Bats, the past doesn't matter. I can do it is all that matters, who cares how I learned it? I certainly don't." The Joker cackled as if it was the craziest thing the Bat could have asked him.

"Don't you ever wonder where you came from? Who you were before the accident?" Batman blurted out before he stopped himself. He should know better by now, but whenever this situation would arise, and it was far and few between, he couldn't stop himself from wanting to know; who was the Joker before he became the man he was today?

An exasperated sigh slipped from the Joker's lips as he returned the cards to his coat pocket, "No Batsy, I don't. Even if I did know nothing would change. I am who I am."

"What if it did change? What if you had a family, friends? What if there were people who were looking for you?" The Dark Knight pressed, sitting himself up higher on the couch with a pained expression. He needed to adjust; lying in the same spot for days was hard on his body.

"You really think they would want to have anything to do with me after everything I've done?" The Joker couldn't help but laugh at the man's twisted logic. "Plus you said it yourself, I don't care about anyone." He paused before giving the Bat a pointed look and adding, "Aside from you of course."

"But what if -" Batman was going to retort but he was cut off by a firm hand over his mouth and an annoyed look from the Clown.

"Look bat-babe. We can go back and forth on this all night but the fact remains; I don't remember, I don't care if I don't remember, and nothing would change if I did remember." Joker said sternly, and though a smile lit up the man's face, Batman could tell it was time to end the conversation before things got ugly. And in in this state, Batman stood little chance against anything the Joker might try should he go into a rage.

Only when he was sure that Batman understood that he was not going to continue this conversation did he remove his hand from the caped crusader's mouth.

"I'm surprised you didn't bite me." The Joker hooted look at his hand to Batman, "Shame really, another scar that I could treasure. This one would be a bit harder to explain though. Oh yeah, you know Batman just bit me when he was resting on my couch after a long night." The Joker hooted with laughter and he slapped his thigh, "The fans would love that!"

When the man finally calmed himself enough to speak properly once more he returned his gaze to the Bat. The glint in his arch enemy's eyes unnerved Batman, but that nervousness was quickly banished by the exasperation at the Joker's next question.

"Want to play Candy Land?"

* * *

**_There you have chapter four guys! Hope you enjoy it. It's a little slow I know, but things will pick up in the next chapter! _**

**_Hope you enjoyed it! Remember to review! Thanks for reading._**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five:**

"It was an intense battle. Joker verses Batman…Okay sorry, I forgot you always had to be first. Batman verses the Joker." The Joker snickered, eyeing the Dark Knight a sinister smile plastered on his face as he tossed "The stakes were high, it was the final battle; the battle of life and death. You don't want to miss this kids!"

"Shut up Joker." Batman growled as he made his next move, only to grunt in frustration as it failed to get him the leverage he hoped. The throw didn't hit its mark, not by a long shot.

"Oh is the banter starting?" The Joker howled with laughter as he drew a card, "Come now Bats, you can do better than that!" The Joker broke into a fit of giggles as it was his turn to take a shot. Lady luck must be on his side today, because he gained the upper hand.

"Could it be? The Dark Knight losing to the amazing Harlequin of Hate?" The Joker proudly proclaimed as he moved down the path towards his goal. One more move and he'd be home free.

A grunt of displeasure signified the Caped Crusader had once more lost another opportunity to stop the Joker, causing the clown to howl with glee as he was set back a huge feat.

"Better luck next time Batsy, because this handsome clown is home free!" The Jester sung as he smacked his game piece sharply on the finish line of the board game, "No candy and gummy bats for you!"

Batman flipped the game off the table in response, sending pieces and playing cards cascading all over the floor.

"Best two out of three Bat-babe?" Joker cooed as he leaned back in his chair, watching the last of the cards flutter to the ground around him. He was so very amused; not only had he convinced Batman to play Candy Land with him, but he had effectively wiped the floor with his rodent clad nemesis for the fifth time in a row. It was obvious how livid it made the man in black to know that he could not even defeat his mortal enemy at such a mundane game.

He couldn't believe he lost again; it was ridiculous how he hadn't even won once! The Joker must be cheating, that could be the only explanation. But then the Dark Knight had done everything in his power to observe the Jester and be sure there were no hidden cards. It was just too difficult to believe that the Joker could beat him so easily at such a simple game.

The fact that these games rely on mostly luck to win was the only thing that kept poor Bruce sane.

"I'm done playing." Batman growled rolling over and facing away from the Clown Prince of Crime. Candy Land was officially his least favorite game in existence.

"Oh come now darling, don't be such a poor sport. I promise I'll share the lollipops with you." Then the Jester grinned and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, effectively earning him a disturbed expression from the Dark Knight, "But you can lick my lolli anytime sweet cheeks."

"You're disgusting." Spat the Bat with a look of pure hatred contorting his features.

"Oh lighten up Bats! I'm only trying to get under your spandex." Joker giggled, moving from his spot to gather up the fallen game pieces, "Really though honey, you need to work on not being such a sore loser. The stick is obviously way to far up your ass."

He didn't know why but he loved to see the Bat angry. From the way his eyes would narrow and his breathing would become short puffs of aggression to the way his muscles would tense and a punch would shortly follow. Except for this time of course, much to the Joker's displeasure, but the Bat was far to injured to attempt anything like that again else risk splitting his stiches for the third time.

And even though the Joker loved to see Batman angry, what he really longed for was a smile; a laugh from the man. Like they did that one night, they just laughed together. It just felt right.

In all honesty he loved to see any sort of reaction from him. Devoid of emotion in any other situation, the Joker truly did pride himself on the fact that he and he alone seemed to really get a true reaction from the Dark Knight.

In any other circumstance the Joker knew they would have been friends. He knew Batman like no one else. They had so much in common, even if the Dark Knight hated to admit it. They both knew it, they both hated it. Yet at the same time, the Joker was glad for it, it was the best thing in the world for him. He knew deep down that Batman loved it too; loved that there was someone else in this joke of a world that understood him.

It was just life's gag that they would be on polar opposites of the playing field. Their views were too opposing to ever unite, to ever come together and truly live in harmony.

But then that's what made their relationship so fun. Two opposites so attracted yet so repellent. It brought to the table the most fun of games. It was a constant battle of dark and light; yet they balanced in every way.

Batman didn't know how much longer he could take this. How he wished that he could just beat the man to a bloody pulp and drag him back to Arkham.

"I want to leave." Batman growled, frustration was eating him alive at this point. He wanted nothing but to leave and never come back and he would if only he could.

This, to a strange satisfaction on Batman's part, effectively erased the Joker's smirk.

"No." Was all the Jester replied with as he finished picking up the pieces in a much less careful manner. The cards in one hand became bent and crumpled under the pressure of the fist that was now being clamped shut.

"I need to Joker, I don't belong here. I have things I have to do." The Bat sighed rubbing his temple. He wanted so badly to remove the cowl; it was so uncomfortable, "Why do you want me to stay here?"

"I told you already. I care about you." The Jester said his tone devoid of all amusement now. His green eyes sparking with anger as he gazed at the Dark Knight, "It's not safe for you to leave like that."

"If I call Nightwing I'll be fine." Batman retorted, his teeth grinding together. The man was really trying his patience this time. He hated how childish the Joker could be at times.

"NO!" The Clown screamed, kicking the coffee table he had brought out clean across the room. It splintered as it hit the wall, the legs snapping off with the force. The Joker breathed heavily as he glared down at the Dark Knight lying on the couch. Said Knight was stunned and confused at the outrage, causing his own anger to intensify, but he knew in his current condition he would barely hold his own against the clown. It would be suicide to even try.

"I want to spend time with you. Get to know you." The Joker huffed, his fists clenching and unclenching as he ground his teeth, "On my own terms. Even though I love our dances and games, this is a once in a life time chance Bats. I fully intend to take it. Even if nothing changes, I at least want to know that I tried."

Then suddenly Joker laughed an insane laugh, all previous anger and agitation devoid from his persona now, "And hey even if go on and pretend none of this ever happens, you know you get better, beat me to a pulp, then take me back to Arkham so that I can escape again, at least the fans will have a story to tell!"

Bruce sighed, it did little to try and get through to the Joker. It was obvious the man was beyond help. "I don't even try to understand you're rambling anymore." He muttered under his breath.

But of course that didn't escape Joker, who merely crackled in response, "You should, I make a lot of sense once you open those sonars and start listening."

With a shake of the head Bruce simply stared at the ceiling, he wanted to sleep, but it was proving difficult now after last time he woke up strapped to the couch and force fed medication that tasted like Clayman's slime, if not worse.

Once the Joker's laughing died down there was silence, it was both calming and unnerving all at once. Bruce couldn't help but wonder how this was possible. But then, he supposed, anything was possible when the Clown was involved.

Though Batman hated to admit it, there was a certain sense of curiosity he held for the Joker. His unnatural behavior, strange ways of going about things, and most of all his superior intellect mixed with his child like mannerisms could only intrigue anyone. He couldn't blame the doctors at Arkham who tried to divulge the man's mind, he would do it himself if he didn't know or believe the risks involved in such a process. Even then the Joker was such a habitual liar, if he did happen to tell you about himself, nine times out of ten it would be a lie that he himself might believe true at that given period of time. As he told Batman before, "If I have to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice!"

A sudden hysterical chuckle brought the larger man from his thoughts, none too kindly at that.

The Joker just couldn't help himself any longer. He loved to watch the masked man think to say the least. It was as if he shut off the world around him when he was so engrossed in his thoughts. Though Joker had only witnessed it personally a handful of times himself, it was clear that during his downtime he did it a lot. Sometimes when the Dark Knight was taking him back to Arkham, he would go into those states of autopilot, as if he forgot the world around him. Of course the masked vigilante always thought him to be out cold, but he seemed to forget the Jester was not ever out too long. It always was peculiar to the Jester.

He couldn't help but wonder what exactly the Bat was thinking about. After all, what could masked men in a flying rodent costume really think about? Was he thinking about him perhaps? Maybe who he had to go return to Arkham next? Or maybe it was something completely different, maybe his home and bed, what his life would be like outside of the superhero gig. So many things, the Jester wanted to know, yet didn't. He was both intruiged and, he supposed, terrified of what the Dark Knight might be thinking of.

What would the Joker do if Batman stopped being Batman after all?

Even he didn't know.

But back to the point at hand, the Jester thought with another laugh. He had been watching the Dark Knight for good fifteen or so minutes before his hysterics took him again. The man was always so serious. He guessed that Batman wouldn't even crack a smile if he was surrounded by beautiful, scantily clad women….

Then again, his alter ego's life consisted of a lot of that.

"What are you laughing at clown?" The caped crusader growled, snapping his blue eyes to meet with green.

The Joker just smirked and gave a shrug, "Just watching you think about me."

Batman stiffened immediately.

How on Earth could the Joker have known what he was thinking? It always seemed as though the man knew what he was thinking, along with everyone else. Bruce often wondered if the Jester was secretly a mind reader.

"You really were thinking about me?!" The Jester howled with laughter, doubling over in a fit as the Batman realized the clown had just made a joking guess. His face flushed under the mask in both anger and embarrassment in his own childish stupidity.

"Oh Bats that's too rich, you don't have to daydream of me darling, I'm ready and willing for whatever you want to do to me." The Jester growled suggestively, only succeeding in sounding very deranged due to his continuous laughter.

"I want to strangle you." The Bat growled moving to sit up, the aggravation was becoming too much for the Dark Knight.

"Oh but then you'd be breaking your little rule now wouldn't you?" The Joker scoffed before chuckling again, "And we both know you won't do that."

"I'm considering it." The bat retorted, sitting up as quickly as his wounds would allow him.

The Jester's laughter quieted and an amused smile rested on his lips, inhuman and taunting, "Considering isn't the same as acting on the impulse, love."

Before Batman could retort a loud rasp on the door silenced them both.

"MISTAH JJJJJJJJJJ!" A high pitched, new York accent hit their ears, causing both to shudder.

"What is it Harley?!" The Clown yelled back, successfully igniting the headache that had only been threatening to break loose in the Dark Knight's skull.

Suddenly the door flew open and a very flustered Harley came in through the door. "Mistah J, I gotta tell ya something real- OH HI BATS!" Harley grinned, very airheaded as usual giving the Batman a whole hearted wave.

Batman didn't have a chance to respond before Joker stood to his full height that even Batman couldn't compare to, a look of malice on his face, "WHAT IS IT YOU STUPID GIRL!? Bats and I were in the middle of something here! He was about to admit he has fantasies about me!"

Harley cowered back then gave Batman the weirdest look that all but said, "Hands off he's mine." To which the Bat only rubbed his temples and shook his head. He'd be having a talk with Harley first chance he got to completely toilet those thoughts the Joker had just instilled in the poor girl's head.

"HARLEY!"

"SORRY MISTAH J, SORRY! You just took me by surprise!" Then Harley seemed to sober and she snapped her fingers before becoming frantic again, "Mistah J, you gotta get outa here! Two face and his gang are about to get here! They're right outside!"

"What?! Why is that indecisive loon here?!

"I…uh….Well I was talking with Red about Bats…She promised not to tell anyone…" Harley started, earning a very unhappy frown from the Clown, "But one of Two Face's lackeys overheard I guess because I just realized they were tailing me!"

"WHY WOULD YOU COME HERE?!" The clown backhanded his henchwomen before grabbing at his hair; panic, though he would never admit to it, built in his chest. Not for himself of course, but for Bats. There was no way Bats could take on old Harvey and his gang in his current condition.

"I'm sorry Mistah J! Honest I just didn't know what else to do! I had to warn ya!" Harley cried, holding her now bruising cheek.

The jester saw something out of the corner of his eyes, taking note that it was Batman now shakily standing. The pain was evident on his face as it contorted with agony. Though the man had his under armor on, the Joker knew the severity of the wounds that covered the Knight's body. What was he going to do?

Then suddenly the Jester smiled as he glanced around the room. His eyes locked on the Dark Knights cape and gadgets.

The Joker howled with laughter and then turned to look at Batman, a mad look in his eyes just as they heard cars screeching to a halt as well as yelling and calls of order outside the building.

Batman hated that look the Joker gave him, "Joker…"

"Don't worry Bats, you can trust me." The Jester grinned crazily as he gathered up the larger man's gadgets.

Dread only sank further into the Dark Knights chest at those words.

"Can I show you the world Batman?"

* * *

Chapter five!

Sorry its short, the next one will e longer!

Remember to review, and thank you everyone for the support and feedback!


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**:

"Here we go Batsy!" Joker howled as he dug into one of the Dark Knights utility belt pouches, withdrawing a handful of smoke pellets and flash bombs. Batman couldn't figure out what disturbed him more, the fact that the Joker was able to disengage the electric security on the belt or the fact that he knew exactly what pockets held what.

"Look out below!" The clown called down from the window to the thugs on the street as he dropped all of the bombs at once. Smoke and light lit up the street like the fourth of July seconds after they hit the ground, hysterics and gun fire soon followed as utter chaos broke out among the men.

Joker couldn't help but grin, the Bat always had the best toys. Next he grabbed Batman's cape before moving quickly over to the Dark Knight.

"Time to tie the knot Bat-babe!" Joker laughed as he threw the cape around Batman's waist, looping it under his arms then tying it to himself securely.

Joker could only howl with laughter at the look of horror on the Bat's face as the Clown pulled out the next object. Everything was finally clicking into the Dark Knights head.

They didn't call him crazy for nothing though. Joker couldn't help but grin at the thought as he aimed the grappler gun out the window.

"Puddin! What about me?!" Harley shrieked as the footsteps and angry calls of Two Face got closer.

"Pumpkin, you're a smart girl! You'll get out of this sticky situation, like always!" Joker said reassuringly, a taunt smile pulling at his cheeks, "Farewell kiddo, catch you on the flip side! And for your sake I hope that's old Harvey's good side of the coin."

"You're the one that should be hoping to get a good flip of the coin, Clown." Two Face growled as he stomped into the room, goons close behind.

"Oh Harvey! I don't remember inviting you to our little party." The Joker grinned, but it was obvious, at least to Bruce, that he was displeased.

"So it's true then. You are holding Bats." Harvey shook his head pointing at the loon and then the Bat as he came farther into the room. Only Harley stood in the way at this point, and Batman knew she'd jump in if the Joker needed time for an escape, "I should have guessed you two were all chummy, the way you two are always going at it like a married couple with serious therapy problems."

"Oh Harv, have you been reading those weird fan fictions again?" Joker shook his head solemnly before erupting into fits of laughter, "I told you if you want the juicy details on Bats and I you'll have to wait for our episode on Jerry Springer!"

"Shut it Clown. " Now Two Face turned his attention to Batman, an almost amused expression playing on his features, "I should have known you'd lose it and join the nut house."

"Harvey, It's not what you think. I want nothing to do with this lunatic." The Dark Knight said hurriedly as he watched as Harvey reached into his coat, he knew what was in there, and he hoped he could talk the man out of pulling it out. What he said next killed his pride but sometimes you have to do the things you hate the most to survive, "He's holding me against my will Two Face."

It went silent for a moment, an eerie silence that was almost piercing to the ears, but then the eruption of laughter broke the soundless wall. The Joker, Harvey and Harley as well as a few of the goons even began to laugh.

"Bats I know that's true and it's still hard for me to believe when you say it!" Joker screeched with laughter.

Harley followed suit, as she wiped a tear from her eye, "Oh B-man that's too funny! Nobody's gonna believe that!"

The Dark Knight stood there in mortified disbelief as he watched his enemies laugh at him. Whereas other times he had found it almost amusing how cocky these people were, this time around he could only feel the slight pang of embarrassment at his own words. Of course no one would believe that the Joker was holding the Batman like some kidnapped child.

Once everyone sobered again and the tension returned, Harvey yanked out his pistol, "Truth or not, you both are done." With a clank of the coin against his figure, the decision maker of Harvey flew into the air and began to spin. Obviously Harvey had, had enough semantics for the day. Now things were getting serious.

Before Batman could even stop what happened next a long arm was latched around him and the sound of gun fire reached his ear. He thought for sure he was dead when he saw Harvey shout, "GET THEM!" as the coin showed the scared side in his hands. Not even a moment later and a flood of goons run into the room.

Until the familiar tug of the grappler gun pulled them through the window and through the air and out of the line of fire. Reflexively Batman grasped onto the only safety line he had, in this case the Joker. Which batman couldn't help to think wasn't the best safely line by a long shot.

Joker crackled with glee he knew his idea was brilliant, they always were after all!

That thought was quickly banished when he realized he had no idea how to use the damn contraption in his hand and they were about to collide with a brick wall. He knew with the way they were now, Bruce would hit the wall first, taking the blunt of the blow. Now in any other situation, Joker would have been more than happy to let the brooding man take the hit, but now he was far too hurt to sustain another injury without the possibility of it becoming critical. So at the last possible second he flipped Batman and himself so he made impact with the hard surface.

A loud grunt escaped his throat when his body collided with the brick, followed shortly by the extra impact of what felt like thousand pound bat. The man groaned with pain, even though he didn't take the full force of the hit, Joker knew it still must have hurt.

Joker himself was in pain now, his head hurt like nothing else and he knew he would have serious bruises in the morning. But all the man could do was laugh, hell at least he was up close and personal to his beloved Batman.

"_I wonder what would happen if I made a Joke about dropping him…_" Joker thought with a howl of laughter that was quickly dispelled by brick grinding along his back as the Grappler yanked them up the side of the wall. He grit his teeth and giggled as he dealt with it another five or six stories before finally they reached the top of the building.

Batman groaned as the Joker dragged him over the side and onto the roof of the building they had swung to. Joker noted with pleasure, that he had made it a good number of rooftops away. It would take Two Face and his gang quite a while to figure out where exactly they went; after all he knew Harley would be keeping them busy in some way or another. Not to mention he had tossed the few remaining smoke pellets he had held onto at the group of thugs before their disappearance act.

Then again he was pretty sure he could hear the sound of gun fire.  
Aimed at them.

A bullet shot right past his shoulder and into the concrete, and the Joker knew he had not lost them after all.

Now it was time to get this big lug of a man down to ground level and to safety.

Preferably with the use of an elevator and modern day transportation.

_**Early the Next Morning**_

It still was made no sense to Bruce what so ever.

He should have either been in the clutches of Two Face or dead, preferably the later honestly. Actually to be completely frank, Batman would rather be either of those things over where he was now; with the Joker.

Somehow, someway, the Clown Prince of Crime once again, being the escape artist that he is, managed to blow through the clutches of another mastermind in Gotham.

Said man was too busy busting a gut in a fit of laughter that he barely was able to stand upright at this point. This was quite a problem for Batman in the current situation as he was relying on the taller man to stay upright and hobble into the Ace Power Plant.

Of course this was not on the top of the Dark Knights list of hide outs, but apparently it was on the Joker's. Honestly Batman would have avoided this place at all costs, and for multiple reasons. Not only were the memories of this place weighing heavily on the Dark Knights mind each time he came into this place, the fact that he was in this place with the doom upon Gotham that he created racked him with guilt.

So many dead because of one failure.

So many that would continue to die because he could not correct this one failure.

He wanted to fix it, more than anything.

But he couldn't, not without falling into that place of no return.

"I know, it's great isn't it? Old pals returning to the place they first met arm in arm…It's like a soap opera!" Joker looked around as if expecting to see cameras before howling with laughter once again. Batman could only grumble and attempt to push away from the smaller man, but to no avail as said man had a firm grip on his nemesis.

"Now, now Batsy! Don't be like that!" Joker tutted, his voice sounding hurt, "We can get over our differences, and I know I pushed you into the dumpster on the way here, but I promise it was for your own good!"

Batman didn't even grace that with a response. The man had literally shoved the Dark Knight into a garbage filled alley way on the way here when he heard the sound of his own followers calling out to him after they heard his insane laughter.

Needless to say Batman was the butt of jokes all night after that.

Joker guided Batman through the plant to what seemed to be a renovated room designed for employees to take breaks. The only problem was that the Joker obviously had claimed this one of his bases and had completely reinvented the interior of the room to his own clownish tastes. Smiles decorated the room along with the greens and purples the man seemed to love so much. Cards and other Joker themed symbolism littered the room as well as what appeared to be a chemistry set, and all ranges of blue prints as well as many of his gag themed weapons. Batman could only cringe as he was forced onto a cot off in the corner of the room.

"Joker, I've said it before and I'm going to say it again. I want to-"

"Well suck it up Bats because you're stuck with me!" The Joker yelled suddenly his arms shooting into the air, causing the larger man's eyes to widen in surprise. It took the Clown a moment before he returned to his giddy nature and took a seat on a nearby wheeled office chair that had been stationed at a desk in the room. He pushed himself across the short space so that he was once again beside the Dark Knight who only inched away in response. The clown once more frowned and Batman worried he may snap again, but as quickly as it came the unhappy face was gone, one more replaced by the signature sinister smile of the Harlequin of Hate.

"Come now Bats. I know you're having fun."

"Don't hold your breath." Batman growled, his fists balling up in impatience. Oh how he wished he had the strength to beat the living hell out of the pale man before him and go back home to Alfred's delicious meals and his comfy bed.

But of course, this was not to be that day.

Joker said nothing more, simply stared at the Dark Knight, who returned the gaze full force. Though everything in his mind told him to look away from those sinister eyes, he refused to give way to the psychopath.

This caused the Joker to smirk into his unblinking stare, "Always so forceful. Even with the most trivial of things huh Batsy?"

This comment was a surprise to Batman, causing him to blink and break the staring streak the two were so previously engrossed in. Batman shook his head to which the Joker laughed before the other could respond, "And so in denial."

"You're the one in denial Joker. You're constant ramblings on how we're alike, on how we see the same." Batman gritted his teeth, his firsts clenching over his legs, "It's you in denial, not me."

"Keep telling yourself that Batsy, maybe one day everyone else will start believing it too." Joker chuckled as he spun around in the chair like a child. This caused the Dark Knight to rise from his position and grab the chair, stopping it in its tracks before yanking up the man on it. His face was contorted with anger and the Joker's snarky grin only intensified that anger.

"Shut up Joker you're…" Batman died off, fatigue hitting him like a ton of bricks as his grip on the smaller man faltered and he came crashing to the ground

Obviously the endorphins that were surging through his body from earlier evens were all but depleted and the Dark Knight was as powerful as a limp noodle.

Joker watched as the caped crusader crumpled to the ground in a heap. He let out an exaggerated sigh of exasperation before slowly getting to his feet and coming over to the Dark Knight's side and crouching beside him.

"You know Bats, you're going to really hurt yourself at this rate." The Joker giggled as he patted the larger man on top of the cowl.

"Don't touch me." Batman snarled, slapping the lanky man's hand away from him as he tried to get himself back to his feet.

After a good ten or so tries the Joker grew bored of watching the man struggle, after all it could only be so entertaining watching a grown man dressed as a flying rodent act like a crippled elderly.

Joker, ignoring Batman's protests, lifted the Dark Knight from his current position. Though it was difficult and it took several minutes he finally was able to get the man to lie back on the cot.

"You know Bats, you are the hardest person to take care of. If you'd just sit still for a bit you'd get all better." Then suddenly the Joker snapped his figures and laughed, "Or is it you don't want to get better and you want your dear pal Joker to take care of you forever?"

Joker once more went into hysterics and then continued as Batman was catching his breath, "You know darling you don't have to be sick or injured for old nurse joker to take care of you. A simple call and pretty please will get you free health coverage."

Batman shook his head and turned on his side, exhausted and ready to sleep. He figured at this point, if the Joker was going to kill him he would have. And being as he was still there and not completely mutilated, missing organs, or on the black market somewhere for spare body parts, Joker must really want to help him. Even if it sounded twisted and sick, apparently the man did have some sort of strange feelings other than hatred for him, "I'm going to sleep."

"Want someone to spoon with?"

"Touch me and I'll break your wrist."

"Aw, touchy I see."

"Stop with the puns and bad jokes already." Batman yelled exasperated aiming a weak punch towards the Joker suddenly. The man easily caught the fist and held it firmly; piercing green eyes bore into striking blue.

Batman started to become worried for his safety before finally the Joker released him. The look on the Joker's face concerned him, but not in a way that he felt his life was threatened, but in a way where he felt the Joker was going to say something off again.

When he said nothing the Batman turned back on his side and curled up under the blankets, fully aware of the green, inhuman orbs staring holes through the back of his skull.

Nothing but silence came for nearly an hour, and though Bruce knew Joker had not moved or looked away, he could not keep himself from the call of sleep. But just before he fell into the calming void or rest he heard the soft voice of the Joker one last time.

"I just want to see you laugh again Batman..."

* * *

Another Chapter for you guys, let me know what you think! Remember to review!

Thanks for reading!


End file.
